As competitive runners, we are trained to do everything we can to minimize damage and enhance recovery. Whether it is taking in a carbohydrate drink during the long run or making sure to suffer through an ice bath following that tough interval workout, trying to maximize recovery and minimize soreness and damage is ingrained in us as runners. But what if damage is a good thing?

We improve from training by putting our body through stress that it normally does not encounter. When the body encounters these stressors, whether it is a decrease in oxygen, increase in lactate or low glycogen stores, it responds by increasing our ability to deal with the stressors, thereby improving our running performance. The stress, recover and adapt cycle is the foundation of training. The aforementioned recovery strategies are aimed at the recovery portion of this cycle so that we can handle harder workouts and see continual improvements in our performance.

What is often overlooked is the fact that some of our recovery strategies could impact the stress portion of the cycle. If strategies such as taking in a carbohydrate drink during a run decrease the stress of the workout, the subsequent adaptation will be reduced. Recent research has shown that several recovery methods such as carbohydrate intake, antioxidant intake, ice baths and the ingesting of anti-inflammatory drugs may influence adaptation.

The main goals of long runs are to improve our carbohydrate storage capacity and to become more efficient at using our fuel. The long run works by sending our bodies into crisis during those last few miles when our fuel supply is running low, which signals our bodies to adapt so that the next time we run long, our bodies are prepared to cope with that stress. When we take in a carbohydrate drink or supplement during training, it prevents us from reaching the decreases in fuel stores that lead to adaptation. Essentially, since the stress is reduced, the adaptation is reduced.

The same effect has been seen in taking in antioxidants during or immediately after training. Antioxidants work by minimizing the effect of damaging free radicals. When we do a hard workout that stresses our ability to take in oxygen, free radicals are produced. Conventional wisdom would say that taking in antioxidants to minimize the damage would be beneficial. However, the body has its own natural defense mechanisms — many of these mechanisms also enhance endurance performance. For example, we now know that free radicals trigger the signaling pathways that lead to increased mitochondria, which are the sites where aerobic energy production takes place. Taking in antioxidants can potentially decrease the stress and activation of that pathway, leading to a reduction in adaptations and improved aerobic abilities.

Lastly, it is common to see runners rely on anti-inflammatories or methods such as ice baths to decrease soreness and inflammation. As mentioned earlier, we go through a normal cycle of stress and recovery. Anti-inflammatories may impede our recovery cycle by blunting the secretion of hormones that aid in muscle repair. Similarly, taking an ice bath too close after a hard workout immediately stops the recovery cycle. Essentially, the rapid cooling of the muscle prematurely halts the recovery cycle, which can potentially decrease our subsequent adaptation.

Making Practical Adaptations

All of this scientific theory and research sounds good, but what does it mean practically? It doesn’t mean that antioxidants, ice baths, Advil or taking a Gatorade while running is necessarily bad. It means using those items at the wrong time or after the wrong workout could negate some of those hard-earned training adaptations. The key is to understand when it’s beneficial to use those methods and when to avoid them.
The adaptations that come from doing long runs without taking in fuel are beneficial for long races such as the marathon, where carbohydrate storage and fuel utilization are key factors in performance. Therefore, when training for a marathon, it is a good idea to do some of your longer runs or workouts without taking in fuel. At the same time, taking in fuel is important during the race to prevent you from crashing, so it’s important to practice ingesting calories while running. Preparing for the race and maximizing adaptations requires a balancing act. My recommendation is to alternate fueling during key long runs with longer runs done without fuel to maximize adaptation and prepare for fueling during the marathon.

As far as antioxidants go, we have to be careful during workouts that produce a lot of oxidative stress. Avoid taking an antioxidant supplement during or in the hours after a hard workout that stresses the aerobic system to a high degree. Tempo runs or longer intervals, such as 1,000m repeats, are examples of workouts where taking in antioxidants would be counterproductive. After the workout, you want the body to start switching over to the recovery portion of the cycle and get those processes started before taking in a supplement that might impair this process.

Similarly, with anti-inflammatories, it is best not to take them during a run or after a tough workout. Let the body start the natural recovery cycle before considering taking an anti-inflammatory. Ideally, you would not need to take any at all, but if you do, wait until soreness is at an unusually high level before taking any. Anti-inflammatories are best used to reduce excessive inflammation, but keep in mind that some inflammation is a necessary part of the healing process.

Ice baths are a staple of many runners, who swear they enhance recovery. While the research is mixed at this point, the ideal scenario is to be able to take an ice bath to enhance recovery, while at the same time avoiding the negative adaptation consequences of taking one. To do this, the timing of your ice bath is critical. Instead of taking an ice bath immediately after a run or the night after a tough workout when the body is still getting started on the repair process, wait until the next day to take the ice bath. That way the recovery processes are already under way and you won’t be stunting the body’s natural recovery response. For example, if you have hard interval sessions planned on Tuesday, don’t take your ice bath Tuesday following the workout, but instead take it on Wednesday night.

Hopefully now you understand that damage and soreness are not necessarily bad things, but instead are essential triggers for the adaptations we all seek to improve performance. The goal should not necessarily be to minimize them automatically, but instead to work with them — this means allowing for enough damage to take place to initiate adaptation and then allowing for the body to go through its natural recovery response before trying to aid recovery. The goal should be to work with the body, not against it. So keep in mind the goal of each training session and the goal of whatever recovery methods you use, and plan things accordingly so your recovery efforts help you improve performance, not hinder it.Steve Magness is a runner, coach, and soon-to-be exercise physiologist who is completing his master’s degree at George Mason University this fall. His mile PR is 4:01, and he coaches a group of successful high school and post-collegiate runners. He writes about running, science and coaching at www.scienceofrunning.com.